Back in 1996, fresh off the groundbreaking success of his independent movie Clerks, young writer/director and New Jersey comic book owner Kevin Smith was approached by Warner Bros. to advise them on the studio’s biggest in development project; a resurrection of the Superman franchise which had laid lament for ten years because of the poor reception to Superman IV: The Quest for Peace.
Warner Bros. had taken interest in Smith after his critically lauded draft for Chasing Amy, revolving around two comic book creators got into their hands and they, probably justifiably so, thought his opinion had useful value.
Smith told them in no uncertain terms that Gregory Poirier’s script was “terrible” and that he “didn’t get the Superman mythos” which worried Warner Bros. greatly. Not wanting to put their mult-million dollar franchise into the wrong hands and seeing Smith as a huge comic book fan, and the speaker of the audience they were hoping to reach out too, he was soon given the job to write a screenplay of his own.
Today’s Daily Vid is Kevin Smith’s hilarious re-telling of his time with Superman producer Jon Peters and how his Superman Lives, was doomed to fail from day one. The vid was taken from Smith’s one man show An Evening With Kevin Smith…
[youtube vgYhLIThTvk]
Want to write about this topic and have your work read by thousands every day? Click here to become a contributor to WhatCulture.
9 Comments
This is the very first thing I’ve ever seen involving Kevin Smith that I liked. Great monologue.
I dunno, though. If I’m Smith, could I really attach my name to a script that horrendous and ridiculous?? It would RUIN my reputation in the creative community.
Oh, wait … we’re talking about Smith here. Of course he would do it. Anything for easy money, right Kev?
Ray, don’t be a hater. He stated many times that he is a bitch for praise(and being chosen to redo the superman script is a great praise for a young unknown writer) and a great comic fan. It’s no wonder he wanted to do this. He does stuff for easy money but most people do so I don’t really understand the hate ppl have for him over the web.
@ Norbert – While I was not a huge fan of CLERKS, I definitely gave him his due for managing to make a film on almost nothing and with almost nothing except a bunch of dirty words.
Fine.
But then he proceeded to create a series of films in some ridiculous other realm known as the View Askewniverse, which probably sounds really cool to a bunch of virginal nerds. Each film showed an almost pathological reliance on obscenity and geek humor to sell them, and also revealed that Smith has barely any ability to direct a film. What made CLERKS clunky but loveable suddenly looked very foolish with large budgets and name actors.
The nadir came with CLERKS 2, which showed definitively that Smith’s well has completely run dry. He crawled back, tail between legs, to the same crap … except this time he included dance numbers!!!! What a hairball.
But to add insult to life-threatening injury, Smith has spent YEARS attacking critics online like a petty five year old, vainly slathering salve all over even the tiniest ego bruising.
And then, in an about-face to the indie cred he has so carefully tried to cultivate, he sells himself out at any given moment in order to prevent him from getting that Amoco job he so richly deseves. He has sucked every studio dick in Hollywood, even willing to attach his name to a SUPERMAN film so very wrong that it would have ruined him and his “art” forever. He has also created a horrendous website that shills View Askewniverse MERCHANDISE.
Gimme a break. The guy is a pathetic joke.
I think you are overreacting because his immature reactions to critique. Yes that was foolish but it’s not a reason to drag him to hell. He sells crap and that should be pointed out but why is the superman film so very wrong? That was before the lastest superman movie and when he was offered a job he new very little about the script. The last few Batman flicks before Nolan were also crap. Does this mean he’s a sell out because he attached himself to a crappy movie? It goes the same for smith who was to offered a job to re-write the script. The movie was a big unknown by that time so I don’t see any selling out in this movie. Especialy he’s a fan of the series and I’m sure it’s a dream of every fan to do what he was offered.
About his other movies. Putting all the characters in one universe may not be the most inventive thing to do but he has a steady fanbase (a Few of my friends keep sending me his stuff and they are very far from being nerds so please stop using that argument) so there is no reason why you should bash him. Especialy that he never claimed to be a good director. People go to his movies mainly for the script and in most cases the dialogue only(Which in some cases is pretty funny). Some of his movies are worse some are better but for me if you don’t expect groundbreaking stuff but stupid comedy than they do their job. I know that Mallrats, Jay and Silent Bob and Clerks 2 were a bit like a loony toon cartoon (ie. too much gags) but it’s a good alternative to all the idiotic comedy we get all the time (and please don’t go the Seth Rogen way as somehow outside of the critic community I can’t seem to find one person to like his stuff). I also loved Chasing Amy and rate it as one of the better 90′s movies I saw (preposterous!) and Dogma was a very needed movie as people should learn to treat religion much less serious.
Also I get the vibe as you seem to imply that being a geek is something bad and making anything targeted at the even worse. I wouldn’t consider myself a geek but I get some of the “geek” jokes and well was a geeky kid. It’s a large community and even people outside of it can enjoy jokes about the parts of geek community that really went to the mainstream culture(ie. starwars, lord of the ring, some comics etc.).
The main thing I have you don’t consider in case of Smith (as I’m sure you do in others) is that artists (yes, even Uwe Boll is one) should be judged by their “art” not by what they do outside of it (ie. pointless net trolling and selling stuff).
i know its late and i drunk ti much but maan, Ray. whats stuck up your ass. i mean iem not a huge Kevin smith fan but the man is alrigtht. about thei internet bashing, im pretty sure you’ve seen the new interviews on the net with him? i cant really b bothered checkin them out but basically he says he knows he’s bean a whiney lil bastard for lettin stuff get to him and commenting on people’s comments. sorry for the grammar. i check back when im sober
@ Norbert – The SUPERMAN thign was wrong because Smith was willing to take a payment from Warners to develop a storyline and script that he thought was total dogshit – he says as much in that monologue. He HAD to know that a Superman movie featuring no suit, no flying, and a giant spider would RUIN his entire career, past and future. But he went along with it, taking the money, because he isn’t truthfully concerned about his place in movie history or his legacy as a filmmaker. He just wants the money so he can sit on his ass and cough up another script set in the Askewniverse so he can sell more dolls on his website.
@ Ruud – I have no idea what you’ve been drinking, but DAMN … that might be the most incoherent thing I’ve ever read from you. When you get out of the hospital, please come back and say HI.
# Ray …Gee…taking a job for money….wtf was he thinking (rolls eyes)
Next time you have to post this Smith vid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgjmlJ2JefU
A hot chick talking about dirty sex – with Kevin Smith.
VideoRaider mate that’s twice in ten minutes your Youtube suggestions have made me almost do a special wee. I thank you kindly.